1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to melt crystallizable polyarylsulfones derived from 1,4"-bishalophenylsulfone)terphenyl.
2. Description of Related Art
Various poly(aryl ether sulfones) are known in the art, see e.g. POLYMER, 1974, Vol 15, July, pages 456-465. Typical poly(aryl ether sulfones) are amorphous materials and although a few can be induced to crystallize by solvent treatment, few, if any, have heretofore been found which will crystallize from the melt. Consequently, the softening behavior of these polymers is determined by their glass transition temperatures as is the case with primarily amorphous materials. The softening behavior of crystalline polymers, in contrast, especially if reinforced, is dependent on the melt temperature of the polymer rather than upon the glass transition temperature thereof. Thus, crystalline polymers, as a general rule, offer acceptable levels of performance at much higher temperatures than do amorphous polymers having somewhat similar polymeric structures. While crystallinity may be induced in a few known poly(aryl ether sulfones) by the employ of solvents, such solvent induced crystallization has a number of problems associated with it, including additional processing, significant reductions in important mechanical properties, and added material cost.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a poly(aryl ether sulfone) which will crystallize from the melt.
Another object is to provide a melt crystallizable poly(aryl ether sulfones) having excellent chemical resistance and thermo-oxidative stability.
Another object is to provide a poly(aryl ether sulfone) having a high heat distortion temperature for use in high heat applications.